The VOICE Refugee Forum – A Network of Refugee Community Initiatives in Germany:

"If you've come to help me, you've wasting your time. But if you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." by Lila Watson, Aboriginal educator and activist, Australia

Review on Break Deportation Culture – Deportation is criminal and we fight to stop it! http://thevoiceforum.org/node/4210

The Voice Refugee Forum: A Network of Refugee Community Initiatives in Germany

The VOICE Refugee Forum is an independent network of political refugee activists. Founded in 1994 in a former camp in Mühlhausen in Thüringen as exile organisation (The VOICE Africa Forum), The VOICE nowadays supports and promotes the empowerment of refugees and the self-organisation of refugee groups nationwide .

The VOICE Refugee Forum in its history has run various public protests and campaigns for freedom of political prisoners in our home countries, against environmental degradation and exploitation by Western multinational corporations. We have been organizing in protest against criminalisation, racial profiling, police brutality (campaign for Oury Jalloh), discriminatory laws and social exclusion and we defend ourselves against institutional and societal racism. Central to our political activity have always been the protest against deportation, for the abolition of Residenzpflicht and for the closure of refugee isolation camps in Germany. Our forms of action include protest rallies, vigils, demonstrations, internet activism and public events as the Caravan nationwide tours 1998 – 2007, the Caravan Refugee Congress 2000, the Caravan Festival on Colonial Injustice 2010 (both in Jena) and the Caravan Break Isolation - Refugee Camp 2012 (Erfurt) - examples which also show the close cooperation of The VOICE with the network of the Caravan for the rights of Refugees and Migrants

Our main goals remain the struggle for equality, justice and human dignity for every refugee in Germany. With a strong affirmation that “We are here because you destroy our countries” we seek to collaborate with groups and initiatives on the basis of solidarity and justice, and we reject any form of paternalism, co-optation and continued colonial injustice. Our emphasis is rooted in the principles of grassroots mobilisation and empowerment and inbuilding refugee political communities and networks. We remain opposed to the deadly migration politics by the European and other Western powers, and their brutal border regime and racist practices of oppression and exploitation. Therefore our work is always located in the context of resistance against colonial injustice.

The Voice Refugee Forum: Flüchtlingscommunity-Initiatives Network in Germany

The VOICE Refugee Forum ist ein unabhängiges Netzwerk politischer Flüchtlingsaktivisten. 1994 in einem früheren Flüchtlingslager in Mühlhausen in Thüringen als Exilorganisation gegründet (The VOICE Africa Forum), unterstützt und fördert The VOICE Refugee Forum heute die Selbstermächtigung und Selbstorganisation von Flüchtlingen bundesweit.
The VOICE hat in seiner Geschichte zahlreiche öffentliche Protestaktionen und Kampagnen für die Freiheit politischer Gefangener in unseren Heimatländern und gegen Umweltzerstörung und Ausbeutung durch multinationale Konzerne durchgeführt. Wir organisieren uns im Protest gegen Kriminalisierung, Racial Profiling, Polizeigewalt (Kampagne für Oury Jalloh), diskriminierende Gesetze und soziale Ausgrenzung und verteidigen uns gegen institutionellen und gesellschaftlichen Rassismus. Im Zentrum unserer politischen Aktivität steht der Protest gegen Abschiebungen, für die Abschaffung der Residenzpflicht und für die Schließung der Isolationslager für Flüchtlinge in Deutschland. Unsere Aktionsformen beinhalten Kundgebungen, Mahnwachen, Demonstrationen, Internetaktivismus und öffentlichkeitswirksame Veranstaltungen. Beispiele sind die bundesweiten Karawane-Touren (1998 bis 2007), der Karawane Flüchtlingskongress 2000, das Karawane-Festival 2010 (beide in Jena) und das Break Isolation Refugee Camp 2012 (Erfurt). Diese Beispiele stehen auch für die enge Zusammenarbeit mit dem Netzwerk der Karawane für die Rechte der Flüchtlinge und MigrantInnen.

Unsere wichtigsten Ziele bleiben der Kampf für Gleichheit, Gerechtigkeit und Menschenwürde für jeden Flüchtling in Deutschland. Mit der starken Beteuerung “Wir sind hier, weil ihr unsere Länder zerstört” suchen wir die Zusammenarbeit mit Gruppen und Initiativen auf der Basis von Solidarität und Gerechtigkeit und weisen dabei jede Form des Paternalismus, der Kooptation und der Fortsetzung kolonialen Unrechts zurück. Unser Schwerpunkt wurzelt in den Prinzipien der Graswurzelmobilisierung, der Praxis des Empowerments und im Aufbau von politischen Gemeinschaften und Netzwerken von Flüchtlingen. Wir positionieren uns gegen die tödliche Flüchtlingspolitik der europäischen und anderer westlichen Mächte, gegen ihre brutalen Grenzregimes und die rassistischen Praktiken der Unterdrückung und Ausbeutung. Somit ist unsere Arbeit immer im Kontext des Widerstands gegen koloniales Unrecht lokalisiert.
http://www.thevoiceforum.org/

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The VOICE Refugee Forum – A Network of Refugee Community Initiatives in Germany:

Our goal is aimed to support and organized under principles of self-organization of refugees and their Communities against the Apartheid in isolation camps and ‘Lager’ and to empower the political Networks and struggles in the camps. The self-determination of the refugees to liberate themselves from institutional racism and discrimination is clearly defined; in order to form a united block against suicidal acts and traumas in Isolation lagers. We demand solidarity and protest against the collective punishments through racist persecution of refugees in Germany. We demand the abolition of the Residence Obligation (Residenzpflicht) and the segregation of refugees in ‘Lager’ and camps and Deportation prisons. We stand for Freedom of movement for all, Stop deportation and all discriminatory laws against refugees. We are united against any form of colonial injustice and social exclusion of refugees and people without rights in Germany. "Main focus is to promote networking and Campaigns for Refugees Community unity and mobilise to represent our own VOICES”

Donation:
Förderverein The VOICE e.V.
Sparkasse Göttingen
Kontonummer: 127829
BLZ: 260 500 01
IBAN: DE97 2605 0001 0000 1278 29
BIC: NOLADE21GOE

The VOICE Refugee Forum Jena, Schillergässchen 5, 07745 Jena,

E-Mail: thevoicerefugeeforum(at)gmx.de ,
E-mail: the_voice_berlin(at)emdash.org
Internet: http://www.thevoiceforum.org

Phone contacts:

Thueringen, Jena Tel: +49-(0)17624568988,
Berlin: Tel: +49-(0)1708788124,
Sachsen Anhalt, Wittenberg. Tel: +4917699321843
Bremen, Tel: +4917622394162
Hamburg: +49 174 3935675
Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel. Tel: +49 1768148420
North Rhine-Westphalia, Wuppertal. Tel: +49176634934230

What does The VOICE continuously stand for?

Reclaim the Agenda - Break isolation of refugees from the lager:

The VOICE Refugee Forum
Jena – Thüringen – Berlin – Göttingen – Baden-Württemberg – Sachsen-Anhalt
founded 1994 in the Refugee Isolation Camp Mühlhausen /Thüringen
Member in the CARAVAN for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants

Break isolation of refugees:
Years of experience in the struggle against social exclusion of refugees in isolation camps – numerous campaigns and successful closure of refugee isolation camps in Germany

Fight against deportation:
Publicity – campaigns for single persons – support of single persons – campaign against the collaboration of embassies in deportation hearings – scandalizing of deportation as racism and human rights' abuse

Fight for abolition of residential obligation (Residenzpflicht):
Campaigns – demonstrations – civil disobedience - legal struggles

Awareness campaigns:
Racism – exclusion – discrimination - Apartheid – isolation - colonialism – colonial injustice – criminalisation – persecution of refugees in their home countries and here in Germany

Public Political Protest:
Rallyes, tours, demonstration, internetactivism

Selforganisation of refugees:
Meetings for networking - lager delegations – press work – support of refugees in their struggles for their rights – community exchange – online network news – support of infrastructure and means of communication

Advocate and support of selforganisation Germany-wide : Thüringen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Baden-Württemberg, Niedersachsen, Bayern ...

Help to overcome social isolation with personal support and delegations to refugee lagers

Make your financial contribution!

Donations:
Förderverein The VOICE e.V.
Konto: 127829
BLZ: 26050001
Sparkasse Göttingen

The VOICE Refugee Forum
Schillergäßchen 5
07745 Jena
0176-24568988
thevoiceforum@gmx.de

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The VOICE Refugee Forum

Our aim includes supporting refugees and asylum seekers in defence of their rights in Germany. In addition, we encourage and support human rights activists in their struggle to ensure the respect of their rights back in their home countries. We are critical on the advancing and promoting victim’s self-organisation to achieve the above stated aims amongst others.
The violation of human rights that prompted persons to flee their countries is unfortunately continued here in Germany where they sought refuge. Living as a refugee in Germany means denial of the basic human rights to freedom of movement and association. In other words, to live in inhuman conditions of poverty, fear, intimidation, imprisonment, social exclusion and several unjust abuses amidst institutional and societal racism.

Isolation and poverty

For many years, refugees have continued to suffer from isolation in remote camps located in the forests far from the city and exposed to bad hygienic conditions, heteronomous feeding with food packages or voucher system and denied of real medical attention in most cases. They are confronted with discrimination and racism on a daily basis with no possibility of recourse to justice.

Residenzpflicht

The so called "Residenzpflicht" forbids asylum seekers to leave their local district without a written permission from the foreigners’ office. This permission is always arbitrarily denied when refugees ask for it. The "Residenzpflicht" prohibits refugees from engaging in social contacts, visiting friends and relatives and engaging in cultural and political activities that are in actual sense the basic human needs. A violation of the "Residenzpflicht" is regarded as a criminal offence against the German state thus positioning Refugees as potential Criminal as just a single visit to a friend in the next district can be a crime.

Traumatisation

Uncountable numbers of refugees are traumatised, owing to what they have suffered in their home countries which has continued through the inhuman conditions they are compelled to live with in Germany. The social isolation of refugees in Germany and the verbal-physical racist attacks from day to day place refugees in a state of permanent psychological trauma. The mental-psychological traumas accompanying permanent deportation threat has led many refugees to commit suicide.

Fortress Europe: Internment

Refugees are practical victims of a Europe-wide system of exclusion and internment in camps and deportation prisons in and outside Europe - e.g. in Africa, with the terrifying aim to keep refugees away from Germany.

Human rights for refugees?

Exercising the basic human rights is made difficult or denied completely through these conditions of Isolation and Exclusion. The right to development of human personality, freedom of movement, education, socio-cultural and political association, human dignity and even the right to live are simply not meant for refugees in Germany.

Who we are

The VOICE Refugee Forum initially known as The VOICE Africa Forum was founded in 1994 in the Forest Reception Lager in Mühlhausen Thüringia. The then focus of this organisation was on the exposure of dictatorship in Africa. Over the years we have campaigned against the German Apartheid Residenzpflicht, Police brutality especially racist Police Brutality, deportation and other horrific situation of refugees in Germany and Worldwide. We have worked endlessly in co-operation with other refugee support groups, human right groups and individuals to support and promote the rights of refugees in Germany. Our activities are centred on empowering refugee self-organisation and determination in exercising their rights.
The VOICE Refugee Forum is part of founding initiatives of The Nation-wide Network of The Caravan for Rights and Migrants.

Our aims are

- Regular support of refugees to overcoming isolation through creating a platform for them to share experiences and to promote their self organisation through provision of the necessary logistics like; transportation and communication materials amongst others.
- Supporting refugee’s political engagement as respect for human rights in their home countries as well as in Germany.
- Exposing information on the difficult situation of refugees in Germany through publications, public seminars and cultural programs as well as soliciting concrete solidarity devoid of paternalism.
- Supporting refugees in their asylum processes and legal cases connected to their status i.e Residenzpflicht, discrimination, deportation etc. through counselling and legal support.
- Organising proper documentation and archiving of refugee activities and history.

Call for Support

The VOICE Forum does not receive public money. Members are mainly refugees and asylum seekers with little or no fund. We depend on individual and private donors for support. Consistent donations no matter how small promote long term planning possibilities but single donations are also welcomed. Donations are tax deductible and receipt could be issued at request.

Donations to:
Förderverein The VOICE e.V., Geismar Landstr. 19, 37083 Göttingen
Sparkasse Göttingen, BLZ: 26050001, Kontonummer: 127829
Coordination and Contacts: http://thevoiceforum.org

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We, The VOICE Refugee Forum, are groups of human rights activists that have been actively engaged publicly in protesting the inhumane situation of refugees since 1994 in Thueringen and Germany as a whole. The members are actively engaged in supporting persecuted human rights activists here in Germany and in their home countries.
We are informed about the difficult living conditions of refugees in Germany and the human rights situation in their home countries.